Horton Hears a Who: Jojo's Future
by MWolfL
Summary: With Whoville saved Jojo is back to talking. However, upon unintentionally revealing that he doesn't want to be mayor, he runs away from home. Can Ned find Jojo and bring him home, or will a new danger cause them to lose each other forever? JojoXOC
1. Arriving At Mount Nool

A.N. I read a lot of fanfiction on Jojo getting girlfriends and becoming a famous singer and everything, and wanted to do one of my own. I tried to do this one more like a movie sequel, so we get to see more of the characters' personalities and a few things get resolved. One thing I tried to do was to make Sour Kangaroo nicer - without completely changing her - since she seemed too much like a dictator in the movie. Also Jojo gets way more speaking lines, obviously, so we get to know his personality a little better. I also added Horton and a few of the other animals into the plot, they even end up becoming a big help later on.

While Horton, with the help of Morton and his new friends, was carrying Whoville to the safe place atop Mount Nool, the Whos in Whoville were celebrating. Ned McDodd, the mayor, was the happiest Who, mostly because everyone was safe. It was also partly because his son Jojo was the one who had saved them all and partly because Jojo had started talking again. Jojo was glad that everyone was safe, and especially glad that he had finally made his dad proud, but he was also nervous. Now that he was speaking again Jojo had a feeling that his dad would ask him why he was silent to begin with…and not only that but he was also dreading going back to school. The bullies have always teased and taunted Jojo for being the mayor's son (out of jealousy), for being short for his age, and for being silent, and Jojo knew that it was just going to get worse now that he was a hero.

While Jojo worried on the inside about these two problems, on the outside he humbly accepted everyone's praise and enjoyed talking to his mom and sisters. The reporters however…well you know how they can be. Jojo expertly dodged them while looking for his dad, who was spending most of the party excitedly telling everyone how this heroic act of Jojo's proves that Jojo will become the greatest mayor ever. After hearing his dad's praise for the first time, Jojo now switched to avoiding the reporters **and** his dad.

Horton and the others then reached Mount Nool and said their goodbyes to Ned and the Whos. While everyone else went home, Horton and Ned stayed longer to talk.

"I've never really had a friend like you Horton, I wish there was some way we could see each other." Ned said a little sadly.

"I know but at least we can talk, and I must admit I enjoy talking with your family as much as I enjoy talking to you." Horton smiled.

"I know; I don't know what I'd do without them." Ned smiled back.

"Say, while we were singing earlier I heard your son sing the last line…Jojo right?"

"That's right."

"Right…anyway your son is an amazingly wonderful singer! I'm telling you he sang like an angel! Ever thought of letting him go into the music business professionally?"

"Not really…I mean I agree with you about his singing but he's the oldest of my children and so next in line to be mayor. It's a family tradition." Ned shrugged. "It goes all the way back to his Great-Great-Great-Great-Great…."

"Er…how many 'Greats' are there?" Horton asked.

"Quite a few, excluding one 'Not-So-Great'." Ned chuckled.

"'Not-So-Great'?" Horton repeated.

"Yeah, he was a little crazy." Ned grinned. "Not dangerously but he did like to wear women's clothing…his favorite was a ballerina outfit."

Horton chuckled.

"Say, how is Sour Kangaroo doing?" Ned asked.

"Oh, not too good." Horton looked sad. "She still feels really guilty about almost killing you all."

"Hm, remind me to have a talk with her tomorrow." Ned said thoughtfully.

"You're not going to lecture her?"

"No, comfort her." Ned waved his hand reassuringly even though Horton couldn't see it. "We've already forgiven her, I mean she just couldn't hear us before my son saved the day it wasn't really her fault."

"She'll be glad to hear that." Horton smiled.

"Hey Horton!" Morton called. "I like the Whos as much as you do but it's getting late! Plus Sour wants to talk to you!"

"Alright I'm coming!' Horton called back. "Got to go Mayor…."

"Ned." Ned corrected. "Come on Horton we're best friends you don't have to be formal."

"Alright…Ned." Horton chuckled. "I'll see…er…**talk** to you in the morning."

"Back atcha." Ned grinned. "I've got to go too, it's almost dinner time."

"Yeah I'm pretty hungry too. Well, good night."

"Night Horton."

Horton went over to Sour Kangaroo, who was still eating dinner. Her son Rudy had finished a while ago, as he wanted to explore his new freedom out of his pouch.

"Remember not to go too far…but you can visit the other children if you like." Sour called after her son.

"Alright, thanks mom!" Rudy called back as he waved: "See ya later Horton!"

"See ya!" Horton waved back with his trunk. "So, what is it you want to talk to me about Sour?"

"Actually, I wanted to apologize…."

"Oh that, come on your silent apology before I offered you the cookie was enough…."

"No Horton, I mean about the way I've treated you in general." Sour sighed. "I was so stuck up that I failed to see how great you really were with the kids."

"Aw it's okay," Horton smiled. "You were just worried about the kids that's all. It's common for any parent."

"Still, thanks to you and the Whos I've learned that using your imagination isn't so bad after all." Sour smiled slightly. "No wonder I was nicknamed Sour as a kid, I was even like that back then."

"Yeah I remember, you were the only kid who never joined the rest of us in our games."

"Right, I regret that now."

"It's not too late, you can still play with me and especially your son."

"True." Sour's smile was a little bigger now. "Say, there's still some food leftover, would you like something to eat?"

"Sure, I'm pretty hungry." Horton grinned.

Sour's real name was Jane, and Horton was the only one who remembered that.

As Horton and Jane ate they continued talking. Jane wanted to know how Horton was going to manage his time between the kids and the Whos. Horton explained that he could actually combine the two: teach the kids on the way up to Mount Nool (he would use the route Jane and the others used when they caught up with him). He then offered for Jane to help if she wanted. Jane explained that she did, but was worried how the Whos would take it. Horton just smiled and invited her to join him and the kids tomorrow morning in order to find out for herself. Jane reluctantly agreed. After Horton was done eating he thanked Jane for the meal, and they both said their good nights/goodbyes.


	2. The Truth is Revealed

Meanwhile, back at the McDodd's. Ned and his family had just finished dinner. As the ninety-eight daughters of Ned and Sally went to get ready for bed Ned pulled Jojo aside.

"Jojo, you don't know how glad I am to hear you speaking again," Ned said. "Truthfully I was pretty worried about you. I'm still a little worried actually…I mean, why were you so silent all these years?"

Jojo cringed and hung his head. He had been dreading this, especially now that he can't go back to his 'silent treatment'.

"Dad…" Jojo hesitated. "I can't…it…I just…didn't want to tell you something…."

"Huh?" Ned was confused. "Tell me what?"

"I can't…."

"Jojo, please, if something's bothering you please tell me, I want to help." Ned put his hand on Jojo's shoulder.

Jojo trembled, tension and fear – not to mention frustration – was building up inside him and he couldn't contain it anymore….

" I DON'T WANT TO BE MAYOR!" He found himself bursting out unexpectedly.

Considering how shocked and upset Jojo was by his outburst, it was obvious that Ned withdrawing his hand out of shock didn't help. Trembling again, Jojo raced to his room in tears and slammed the door. Ned was also shocked and upset, not to mention disappointed, but not for the reasons Jojo expected. True, Ned was shocked by Jojo's outburst – not at what Jojo said but the volume he used – but he was upset and disappointed in himself.

"I can't believe it…all these years and I never bothered to ask Jojo what he wanted." Ned mentally beat himself up…luckily 'mentally' since he's had bad luck with physical pain before. "What kind of father am I?"

"A father who cares deeply about his children and who can get a little overexcited at times." Sally answered, having overheard all this. "You're a good father Ned, believe me."

"Sal, I appreciate the compliment but that's not up to you it's up to the kids." Ned shook his head. "I know the girls believe I'm a good father but Jojo…he must hate me."

"No, none of our children could ever hate you." Sally shook her head this time. "And there's no one else I'd rather have to be the father of my children. Come on dear, let's go to bed. We'll let Jojo calm down tonight; you can talk to him in the morning."

Ned, defeated, reluctantly obeyed.

Unfortunately, this ended up being a mistake as Jojo had assumed that his father was extremely disappointed in him. He also mistakenly thought that he couldn't stay home any longer, so after packing some important personal belongings, he escaped out the window and ran away…to Whocity, by way of bus.

Jojo of course knew that the buses would never let him on, not only was he a minor but he also looked younger than he should. Ever practical (sometimes), Jojo covered his black hair with a white wig – he liked to collect music related stuff, including outfits and wigs – and hunched over pretending to be an old man. The ruse worked, and Jojo was on his way to Whocity.

When they arrived, Jojo knew he didn't have enough money for a hotel, so he headed over to the park, went up a high hill, and fell asleep under a tree. He decided that the next day he would look into record companies, and hopefully land a gig, but he also knew that it would be smart to find a day job until he ran into some luck. Interestingly, tomorrow some huge luck in the music business did run into him…but unfortunately it was all bad.


	3. A Portal and a Search Party

The next morning, when Ned and the rest of the family – excluding Jojo of course – woke up to have breakfast they noticed that one was missing.

"I'll go wake up Jojo dear." Sally said after serving everyone else.

Ned agreed, and Sally went into Jojo's room and approached a lump in the bed.

"Jojo honey, wake up its time for breakfast…." Sally said as she lifted the sheet…only to find a pillow. "NED!" Sally gasped.

Startled, Ned and all the girls rushed over to discover what Sally had gasped about. Shocked, Ned noticed a note by the pillow and read it:

Dear father,

I am so sorry for disappointing you, but I can't give up my dream of becoming a musician. I know you must hate me, so I've decided to start a new life. Don't worry about me, I know how to take care of myself, I just wish it didn't have to be this way. I'll miss all of you.

Jojo

"Jojo." Ned sobbed. "Of course I don't hate you, how could he…?"

"He probably just hurts too much for thinking he disappointed you." Sally comforted him. "You must tell him the truth."

At that point the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." The eldest daughter said (sorry, I can't seem to memorize their names – hey, there's ninety-eight of them **you** try it sometime).

On the way to the front door, she thought over what to do. Truthfully she had always been jealous of Jojo because she wanted to be mayor, but besides that she really did care about him. Now she was glad that Jojo didn't want to be mayor – which, she realized, explained his silence – but she also felt sorry that Jojo and Ned had been hurt in the process. She had to stop thinking as she opened the door, for Dr. LaRue was standing there.

"Quick I need to see your father I have wonderful news!" Dr. LaRue smiled excitedly.

"Errr…this isn't really the best time since we've just recently gotten some bad news." The eldest daughter said. "Jojo's run away."

"What? Why?" Dr. LaRue gasped.

The eldest daughter told her on the way upstairs.

Meanwhile, both Ned and Sally decided to form a search party. Sally at first offered to lead the party since Ned had his mayor duties, but Ned refused.

"No Sal, I need to settle things with Jojo as soon as possible." Ned shook his head. "My duties can wait a day."

"But…you know the other Whos aren't going to take this well." Sally pointed out.

"Say, how about you take over for the day!" Ned smiled.

"Me?" Sally repeated skeptically. "But what about the girls?"

"Take them with you." Ned replied. "Since Jojo isn't going to become mayor after all it'd be a good idea for them to learn what being a mayor is like. This time I'm going to let them decide on their own."

At this point Dr. LaRue and the eldest daughter arrived; Ned immediately told Dr. LaRue the search party idea.

"Great idea Mayor, and now have I got great news!" Dr. LaRue said excitedly.

"Uh, kinda not the best timing…." Ned pointed out.

"Hear me out: I've figured out how to open a portal to Horton's world!"

"WHAT?" Everyone else gasped.

"After realizing that there was a bigger world beyond ours I took the liberty of studying portals – or doorways between worlds if you must – and figured out the formula to build one. I just completed it this morning!"

"Dr. LaRue…if this doesn't get you the Whobell Prize then those judges don't even know elementary school science!" Ned hugged her gratefully.

"Technically they don't anyway, but thank you." Dr. LaRue smiled.

Well, that was really an exaggeration; you know it's all a matter of perspective.

"This is great, Horton and his friends can help with the search party!" Sally realized.

"Really help, I mean Horton is an elephant so we can ride him anywhere!" Ned realized. "That is if he doesn't mind."

"I'm sure he won't."

Everyone then rushed to Ned's office where he explained the situation and what was to be done about it. The other Whos were skeptical at first about Sally running the office, but that disappeared quickly. The council however, including the head of the council, was far from pleased. They had never liked Ned, and liked him even less now that he had gained popularity. The head especially despised Ned (hey a rhyme!) since he had a crush on Sally ever since high school, and never forgave Ned for stealing her from him (again, perspectives). Luckily, Ned's new popularity stopped them from speaking up in disfavor of the plan, since they didn't want to put themselves in a poor light.

First thing they did, was to watch Dr. LaRue open the portal to Horton's world. Ned of course was to have the honor of being the first one to go through the portal. It was perfect timing, as Horton was just nearing Mount Nool with his class (along with his new student Rudy, Jane had lightened up **immensely**).

_In Horton's World…._

"Thanks for letting me join the class mom." Rudy said as he hopped between Horton and Jane.

"Of course son, after all Horton really is a good teacher." Jane smiled back. "It just took me a while to realize it."

Horton smiled at her. See, Horton and Jane had gotten closer since yesterday. No, they hadn't fallen in love nor were they ever going to, but they had become very close friends. In fact it was safe to say that Jane was almost as close a friend to Horton as Morton was. Despite this though Rudy already started thinking of Horton as a father. And no, he wasn't going to try to hook up Jane and Horton unlike some kids would, he knew that there was a slim-to-none chance of them ending up together. See, Rudy was smarter than Jane had ever given him credit for.

Suddenly, as they reached the top of Mount Nool, a white rectangle appeared in front of them!

"What…? Horton what is that?" One of the students asked.

"I…I don't know, I never saw anything like this before." Horton stared.

That's when Ned appeared.

"Hi Horton!" Ned smiled, immediately recognizing him since he basically knew what an elephant looks like.

"Ned!" Horton gasped. "What…how…?"

"Dr. LaRue invented a portal." Ned explained. "Now we can visit each other's worlds whenever we want!"

"Alright!" Horton cheered, jumping around excitedly.

"Whoa! Horton easy big fella!" Morton tried to keep his balance. "And I do mean big."

"Whoops, sorry." Horton grinned sheepishly, calming down.

Horton then introduced Ned to everyone. Ned greeted them all cheerfully, but when Horton reached Jane Ned's face became sympathetic (especially since Jane cringed as she was introduced to him).

"It's okay Sour, Horton already told me you were still feeling guilty about yesterday and I just want to tell you that we've all forgiven you." Ned said comfortingly.

"Her real name is Jane, by the way." Horton pointed out.

"Then that's what we all will call you here." Ned smiled.

Jane relaxed and smiled, and she and Ned shook hands.

"Oh! I just remembered: Horton we need your help." Ned became worried again.

"Help? What happened?" Horton frowned, concerned.

Ned quickly explained the situation. Horton and his students were shocked and agreed to help. As for Jane she immediately wanted to help too.

"After all being a parent too I can understand how you must feel." She explained. "Plus I still want to make up for yesterday…and don't talk me out of that."

"I'll help too, Jojo might run off if he sees you so if I reach him first I can stop him." Rudy said.

"Bright boy." Ned smiled. "Okay we'll do some quick introductions in Whoville and then start on the search."

And that's what happened. Now apart from Whoville and Whocity there was also the Whofarms. However it was easily concluded that Jojo went to Whocity because it was the best place to get a start at a new life.


	4. A New Friend, and a New Enemy

A.N. The new enemy introduced in this chapter was inspired by the antagonist from Nelvana's _The Devil and Daniel Mouse_, which in turn was a parody of The Devil and Daniel Webster. As for the new friend I wanted to reference How The Grinch Stole Christmas, specifically the movie since it's one of my favorite Christmas films (I just love Jim Carrey).

Now while all this was going on in Horton's world and Whoville Jojo woke up at the park to find a pretty pink Who with blond hair staring at him.

"WHOA!" Jojo cried, jumping up startled.

The pink Who giggled.

"Don't be scared, I was just wondering if you were all right." The pink Who smiled. "You've been sleeping since I first came here."

"How long ago was that?" Jojo gasped, calming down. "And sorry but…who are you?"

"Sorry, my name is Cindy WhoHeart." Cindy smiled. "And I've been here since ten o'clock which was…" Cindy checked her watch. "Two hours ago."

"It's noon?" Jojo winced. "That explains why I'm hungry. Oh, I'm Jojo, Jojo McDodd."

"Nice to meet you." Cindy smiled shaking Jojo's hand. "Hungry huh? That's understandable, stay here I'll be back with some hotdogs."

"Oh, you don't…." Jojo waved his hands, embarrassed.

"Hey it's okay, I have lunch here all the time." Cindy smiled. "The food here may be inexpensive but it's yummier than restaurant food. Nothing like friendly service to make even simple foods delicious."

"I know what you mean." Jojo grinned. "And of course nature helps a lot with the flavor, especially the symphony."

"'Symphony'?" Cindy repeated.

"Yeah, er, you might think this is crazy but I have to ability to hear rhythm and music in everything."

"No way so do I!" Cindy gasped.

"Really?" Jojo stared. "I thought I was the only one!"

"Me too!" Cindy was stunned. "I suppose next we'll both find out that we look younger than we really are."

Jojo dropped his mouth opened.

"Oh no way…." Cindy gasped.

"You're fourteen too?" Jojo asked.

"Yeah…wow this is nuts."

"Good nuts."

They both laughed.

"Wait, Cindy,…oh yeah I thought that name sounded familiar." Jojo smiled. "That's the name of the girl who befriended Grinch."

"That's my grandmother and great-grandfather." Cindy grinned.

"What?" Jojo dropped his mouth opened.

"Yeah, great-grandpa gave himself the last name WhoHeart as a symbol of becoming a full-fledged Who." Cindy explained. "His and Martha May Whovier's son then married Cindy LouWho. Their son, my dad, named me after her."

"Wow." Jojo smiled; then his stomach growled, causing him to blush.

"I'll be right back." Cindy grinned running off.

"Wow, what a neat Who." Jojo smiled before thinking: "_I never felt this way before. I mean, I just met her and yet it seems as if we've been friends for a long time. It's like we just clicked or something._"

Suddenly, almost out of nowhere, a red Who with a two-spike hairdo appeared in front of him. Jojo was at first startled, and then immediately became wary: this Who did not look trustworthy.

"Hello young man." The red Who grinned, revealing almost pointed teeth.

What little, very little, trust Jojo had for this Who immediately went away. Not only had he never heard of a Who with almost pointed teeth, but also this Who's voice suggested fake friendship, like the kind of voice you'd expect from a scheming businessman.

"Did I hear right? You can hear rhythm and music in everything?" The red Who continued grinning.

"Yeah, what's it to you?" Jojo glared; normally he was a very friendly and polite Who, but something inside him told him to not be friendly with this character.

"Oh it means nothing, that is nothing but a chance to offer you fame and fortune." The red Who winked. "Allow me to introduce myself: my name is B. WhoBub."

As he said this B. WhoBub whipped out a card for Jojo to read, then whipped it back in a matter of seconds.

"_Eh-heh, I thought so: scheming businessman. 'Fame and fortune' all right, fame for me and fortune for him. Careful Jojo, don't give in to this guy._" Jojo thought to himself.

Jojo must've been frowning while he was thinking, for B. WhoBub suddenly looked hurt.

"I can tell you don't trust me, but I assure you that all the fame and fortune is yours." B. WhoBub said with the kind of assuring tone that suggests that the person is only pretending so that you'd trust him. "I run a charity business by taking in Whos with underappreciated talent and making them famous. All I require from you is your signature on this contract."

B. WhoBub pulled a contract and quill out of his jacket and Jojo eyed it suspiciously.

"Me sign a contract with fine print I can't even read? I don't think so. Besides, I don't even care about fame and fortune I sing for the pleasure of it. Also, a quill? Isn't that old fashioned? And where's the ink?" Jojo frowned, pointing at the quill.

"Oh, I use blood, it's more permanent." B. WhoBub smiled as he lowered the quill toward Jojo's finger.

"Well that clinches it." Jojo glared, pulling his finger away. "I'm not signing."

"JOJO! GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Cindy's voice screamed out.

With a growl, B. WhoBub ran away.

"Don't worry Cindy I wasn't going to fall for any of that phony's tricks." Jojo said reassuringly as Cindy caught her breath from running towards him. "'Charity business' my flute, I could see pass that in a Whosecond."

Cindy looked amazed.

"I had a slight feeling you were a very smart and kind Who when we first talked and now I fully believe it." Cindy smiled. "Oh, here, I got your hotdog."

"Thanks." Jojo blushed from the compliments. "So, you know that fake huh?"

"Not really, I only…." Cindy suddenly looked sad. "Three years ago my dad disappeared a few days after he lost his job at the factory. Layoffs due to more concerns with profits than with employees and their families and everything."

"Oh man that's awful." Jojo looked sad too, after all he could never imagine his dad disappearing.

"Yes, and I was actually among the last to see him." Cindy continued. "See, the day before he disappeared dad was talking to that very same Who, and signed a contract with him. I've been searching for them both ever since, but I could never find either of them until today."

"Sorry you lost your chance to interrogate him." Jojo said after he swallowed the bit of hotdog he had been chewing.

"It's okay, I'm just glad he didn't get you." Cindy smiled. "It's weird but I feel as if I had always known you."

"I know what you mean." Jojo smiled back. "Say, since you can hear music in everything what does my voice sound like to you?

"Mmm, I'd say a violin with a hint of trumpet." Cindy replied. "Good combo."

"I think the trumpet must be my 'high note' voice." Jojo grinned. "I've noticed that while my speaking voice was gentle my singing voice was powerful."

"Could be." Cindy grinned back. "So what about my voice?"

"Harp, with flute for high notes." Jojo smiled.

"M-my voice is that good?" Cindy blushed.

"Of course…say here's an idea! How about we do a duet? All four of those instruments should sound great together."

"Sure, I always loved singing." Cindy smiled.

"Me too, but this is only the second chance I've had to do it." Jojo sighed.

"Really? Why?"

"I'll explain after our duet. So what song do you want to sing?"

"Uh…oh! How about 'Let Me Be Your Wings' from Thumbwhoina? I always loved that movie and song."

"Really? Most of the guys at my school dismissed it as being a girls' film but I always enjoyed it for the music." Jojo smiled. "But, uh, how about Joccwhomo's theme song instead? That one's my favorite."

Jojo didn't want to admit it, but he was shy about singing a romantic song.

"'Follow Your Heart'? Sure, I love that one too." Cindy smiled.

After getting in sync, Jojo and Cindy sang. They were both amazed, not only was their partner a good singer but also they made a good duet.

"Wow! That was great." Cindy said happily.

"Yeah, we should partner up." Jojo offered.

"Really?"

"Well, what could be better than two friends teaming up? We are friends aren't we?"

"Of course." Cindy smiled. "Say, would you like to come over to my place? I want you to meet my mom. That is if it's okay with your parents."

"Whether it is or not I can't ask them." Jojo said sadly.

"Why not? Did something happen to them?"

"No, but something happened to my dad's dreams. I'll explain on the way to your house."

And he did, along with the whole thing about Horton and Jane Kangaroo. When Jojo finished Cindy was sympathetic towards Jojo even though she thought it was stupid for him to run away. Jojo admitted that he didn't want to, but he didn't know what else to do since he was worried about his father disowning him. Cindy replied that from what she heard about Ned there was no chance of that happening. She also said that he should return home soon. Jojo said that he would like to, but he was scared.

"More scared than when we all almost fell into that pot of oil?" Cindy asked.

"Well, no, only as scared…."

"Then if you found the courage to yell through that horn, you can find to courage to talk to your father."

Jojo looked thoughtful at this.

"You know, I'm not the only 'very smart and kind' Who around here." He smiled.

Cindy blushed.


	5. A New Search

At this point they had reached Cindy's neighborhood. Jojo was shocked; he would have never expected Cindy to be living in a dirty and low class area. There weren't even any houses, just run down two story apartments.

"We, er, ran into further financial trouble when dad disappeared." Cindy explained, embarrassed, catching Jojo's shocked expression.

"Oh I understand, it's just that to me you didn't seem the type that would live in a place like this. I was actually expecting you to live in at least a high class penthouse if not a mansion."

"Despite my dad having worked in a factory?" Cindy frowned, confused.

"No, I mean based on your personality." Jojo smiled sincerely.

"Flatterer." Cindy smirked/blushed as she punched Jojo playfully.

They went into one of the buildings and entered a room on the second floor.

"Mom I'm home!" Cindy called as she walked inside. "And I brought a new friend."

Mrs. WhoHeart was the type of woman who looked pretty despite having old clothes on and a simple hairdo. She was dressed in gray, the pretty kind, and had brown hair.

"Hello Cindy." Mrs. WhoHeart smiled. "And who is this?"

"Jojo McDodd." Jojo said, offering a hand. "But you can call me Jojo. You have a talented daughter here Mrs. WhoHeart, we sang a duet earlier."

"Really? You're a singer too?" Mrs. WhoHeart smiled as she shook Jojo's hand.

"Oh he's really great mom, sings like an angel!" Cindy smiled at Jojo.

"Look who's talking." Jojo blushed.

Cindy blushed back.

"So how did you two meet?" Mrs. WhoHeart asked.

As Cindy explained Jojo looked at the photos around the room. There weren't that many, but only a few had Cindy or Mrs. WhoHeart in them. Most of the photos were of Grinch with either Martha May Whovier, a baby or kid green who, or both of them. Most of those photos also had a terrier-like-dog. Jojo immediately recognized Grinch and his terrier Max due to Grinch being infamous-turned-famous, and guessed that the other green Who was Grinch's son. The other photos were of an older Grinch Jr. and Cindy Sr., sometimes with a baby or kid Who. Jojo immediately realized that this was Cindy Jr.'s father when he was young. The last of the photos had Cindy Jr. and Mr. and Mrs. WhoHeart.

"Well, I'm glad you saved us all Jojo but I really think you should return home." Mrs. WhoHeart said after Cindy finished.

"Not yet, I want to help find Mr. WhoHeart first." Jojo replied.

"It's no use, I've looked everywhere during the past three years." Cindy shook her head sadly.

"'Everywhere'?" Jojo repeated.

"Well, everywhere except for this haunted factory at the other end of the park, past the woods." Cindy shivered. "No Who in their right mind would ever go there."

"Haunted factory?" Jojo said. "Are you sure?"

"Believe me all the kids at my school wouldn't dare go there even for a year vacation from school in exchange."

"Well, everyone knows that you always find a lost item in the last place you look, and since this factory is the only place that hasn't been searched…."

"No Jojo, I know you're not from Whocity but trust me, that factory's a death trap."

"Is this true Mrs. WhoHeart?" Jojo asked.

"I never heard of it being haunted before Cindy told me after her first day at middle school," Mrs. WhoHeart admitted. "I know that factory though, it was brutal to the environment so me and countless other Whos, including some from Whoville, rallied together to have the place shut down. We succeeded, and no one has been there since."

"Except for this one Who who told me and the other students about it's being haunted." Cindy added. "Apparently he was exploring the area around it and heard the factory running despite it being closed for years. Rumor is that the ghosts are the last owners of the place before it was shut down and the workers are devils."

"Well I think that looking for your dad there is worth a try." Jojo said.

"I don't know, what if something bad happens?" Cindy looked worried.

"Hey, no matter what happens I'll stick with you." Jojo smiled. "I won't leave you for anything."

Cindy blushed again since Jojo's words sounded like something a guy would say to his girlfriend (even though Jojo didn't mean it that way).

"Is it okay if we look there, mom?" Cindy asked, her courage rising due to Jojo's friendship.

"As long as you're careful if you have to go inside." Mrs. WhoHeart said. "Since that place has been closed for years it's pretty run down. I'll join you after I finish my work."

Mrs. WhoHeart was a laundress/seamstress.

"No problem, we'll be careful." Cindy smiled. "Thanks mom."

"I'll protect her with my life." Jojo added.

Cindy blushed again, she never met a Who as kind, brave, and selfless as Jojo. Jojo, in turn, had never met a Who as sweet, generous, and smart as Cindy. It's becoming obvious that they're developing crushes on each other isn't it? This was the first time they felt any romantic love of any sort though, so they didn't even know that was happening. Mrs. WhoHeart, however, could tell that Jojo and Cindy had feelings for each other, but she didn't say anything.

Cindy and Jojo left for the park….


	6. The Search Parties Team Up

Ned, Horton, Jane, and Rudy made it to Whocity, but had a hard time finding Jojo. Their luck changed when they decided to check the park, and later they found Jojo with a pink Who. Rudy and Horton approached them first.

"Hi Jojo." Horton smiled.

"Horton?" Jojo gaped, recognizing his voice.

Horton explained about Dr. LaRue.

"Oh, wow, I always knew she was a genius but this is beyond genius!" Jojo smiled. "Oh, this is Cindy WhoHeart."

"Hi, Jojo told me about you, you're the elephant who protected us." Cindy smiled.

"That's right." Horton grinned. "Oh, this is Rudy Kangaroo."

"The same kangaroo who saved us from the pot of oil?" Jojo stared.

"The very same." Rudy grinned. "It's great to finally meet you in person Jojo."

"Same here." Jojo smiled. "So, how did you guys know I was here?"

"I can answer that." Ned said.

"Yipe!" Jojo tried to run away, but Cindy caught hold of his arm.

"For crying out loud Jojo you would've had to deal with this anyway." Cindy frowned. "How about getting it over with?"

"Alright." Jojo hung his head, looking ashamed.

"You have no reason to feel bad Jojo, I'm the one who made the mistake." Ned sighed.

"Really?" Jojo looked up, confused.

"Yes." Ned nodded. "See, ever since I was a kid I've always wanted to be mayor because I loved helping people, and even after I became mayor my excitement never went away – that is except for those meetings with the council…."

Jojo and Horton chuckled.

"Yeah." Ned smiled, also amused, before he became serious again. "Anyway, my excitement grew even further when you were born, so much so that I never even stopped to think whether you wanted to be mayor or not. I'm sorry Jojo I should've been a better listener, and I'm going to start right now. You can have whatever job you want."

"Really?" Jojo was surprised. "You don't mind that I don't want to be mayor?"

"Of course not Jojo, the eldest becoming mayor is only a tradition, not a law. Traditions can change, and often for the better. Now, what do you really want to do?"

"I really want to be a musician and singer." Jojo smiled.

"Then that's what you'll be." Ned smiled.

"Thanks dad." Jojo hugged Ned.

"You're welcome son." Ned hugged back.

Horton sniffled emotionally.

"Oh, almost forgot." Ned broke free. "Jojo, Cindy, this is Jane Kangaroo."

"Hi Jane." Jojo smiled.

"Hi Jojo…er…no hard feelings…?"

"Nah," Jojo laughed. "Actually I'm glad you gave me the opportunity to speak again."

"Yeah, as Jojo explained you weren't able to hear anyone at all until Jojo yelled that word…what was it…?" Cindy thought for a moment.

"Yopp." Jojo answered.

"Ah, right. Anyway, the clouds in our world have always been really thick, so blame them not yourself." Cindy smiled.

"Thanks, I feel a lot better now." Jane smiled.

"Come on, let's go home." Ned turned around….

"Not yet dad, I promised Cindy I'd help her find her father." Jojo shook his head.

Jojo and Cindy explained the situation, including Jojo's encounter with the mysterious Who.

"What was his name?" Jane asked.

"B. WhoBub." Jojo thought for a second.

Ned paled.

"As in Beezle WhoBub?" He looked scared.

"I'm not sure…why?"

"That's one of the many names of the WhoDevil!"

"WHAT?" Everyone else gasped.

Even though this was the first time Horton, Jane, and Rudy had heard of the WhoDevil, they knew what a devil in general was.

"Geez, that was a really close call for me." Jojo looked both shocked and relieved.

"My dad…." Cindy sobbed. "No wonder he disappeared…."

"He still may be at the factory." Jojo put his arm comfortingly around Cindy. "Especially if the WhoDevil is the one haunting the place."

"You have a point there." Cindy agreed, still looking sad.

"Say, I think I know that factory." Ned said thoughtfully. "Sally and I were part of this rally that shut it down due to it's polluting the air."

"Really? My mom was part of that rally too." Cindy said.

"Well looks like we're going to have to shut it down again." Ned smiled.

"Count us in." Rudy smiled as Jane and Horton nodded.

"Great," Jojo said. "We're going to need all the help we can get."

All of them left towards the factory.


	7. Rescue Turns To Battle

They had reached the factory and Jojo instantly understood why Cindy and the other Who kids around here believed the factory to be haunted. Despite the factory being boarded up at the front there was a red glow and sounds of machines running coming from the inside. The red glow mostly came from the windows, which were too high for a Who. Horton however was big enough to reach them.

"Here, get on my back so we can see through the windows." Horton said, kneeling down.

Everyone obliged, and Horton sneaked over to the windows so they could look in. Immediately they knew they had come to the right place, hundreds of Whos were at work running the machines that kept producing various items, mostly furniture and appliances. The Whos looked miserable, but they couldn't stop due to a bunch of small devils prodding them on, literally, with pitchforks. On a balcony surrounding the room was the WhoDevil, who was surveying the work.

"There's my dad!" Cindy gasped, pointing near them.

Sure enough there was Mr. WhoHeart, working on the furniture assembly line. Fortunately one window was open, allowing Jojo and the others to overhear what was going on.

"Soon all the products will be complete, and then we will be able to sell them to all of Whomanity in exchange for their souls!" The WhoDevil grinned evilly.

"Don't forget you'll have to come up with a way to get them to buy the products…including the ones who already have them." A small devil pointed out.

This devil, though small like the others, was still relatively larger, especially the horns. This and a stone clipboard – obviously a paper one would've burned on impact – suggested that this devil was second in command.

"I already have, a hypnotizing commercial." The WhoDevil replied. "We still need a good singer to play the jingle though, unfortunately that one Who didn't fall for my scheme."

Jojo froze with shock since he knew that the WhoDevil was talking about him; the others stared at Jojo, realizing that it was more of a close call then they ever thought. Horton lowered everyone after they all recovered.

"We need to get all of those Whos out of there." Cindy realized.

"But we can't as long as all those devils are there, especially the WhoDevil." Rudy pointed out. "We need a distraction to lead them out into the front room."

"I'd make a really big distraction." Horton grinned. "Especially since they'd never expect an elephant to charge in."

"What about their fire and pitchforks?" Ned pointed out, worried.

"Don't worry, elephants have really thick skin." Horton smiled.

"I'd better help you," Jane offered. "I used to be a pretty good boxer."

"All right, the rest of us will let the Whos out the back after the devils are gone." Jojo said. "We'll then join you in case you need help."

The plan worked so far, Horton and Jane startled the devils so much that even the WhoDevil left to see the commotion. The only devil remaining was the one with the clipboard, but since it was obvious that he wasn't going to leave anytime soon Jojo, Ned, and Rudy went in the back to free the Whos. Luckily, the one with the clipboard didn't expect this, and it was soon obvious that he was more into accounts and files than fights. All the captured Whos left, except for Mr. WhoHeart who was ecstatic to see his daughter again; Cindy's feelings were mutual, as there was a huge hug between the two of them. Mr. WhoHeart then thanked Ned, Jojo, and Rudy for their help. Afterwards, they all left to help Horton and Jane.

"No Mr. WhoHeart, you should stay behind." Ned said. "If the WhoDevil sees you free he'll realize that he's been tricked."

Mr. WhoHeart agreed, and after learning that his wife had planned to meet everyone at the factory decided to wait for her. Ned, Jojo, Cindy, and Rudy left to help Horton and Jane. When they entered they saw that the devils recovered quickly, though not quickly enough to prevent Horton from knocking out many of them. It also seemed that Jane wasn't exactly correct earlier: she **still** is a good boxer. Ned and Rudy immediately rushed in to help before the devils could notice them. Ned grabbed a long pipe and was doing pretty well with it, and it soon became obvious that Rudy had inherited his mother's boxing skills.

Jojo and Cindy didn't enter right away because they weren't really the fighting types, so they stayed partially hidden at the entrance in order to think of a better idea. Jojo immediately got one when he saw the old sprinkler system at the ceiling, and left in search of the trigger. Cindy followed, and after helping Jojo struggle with the handle for a while they both realized that it was too rusted from lack of use. As they tried to think of another way, Cindy noticed that there was an old smoke detector at the other side by a railway.

"I don't think that's a good idea Cindy, that railway looks like it's about to fall apart." Jojo frowned after Cindy told him her idea.

"Well there doesn't seem to be any other options." Cindy pointed out. "Don't worry, since I'm light for my age I'm sure the railway can support me."

Before Jojo could further protest, Cindy left for the nearest ladder that led to the railway. Jojo noticed that the railway above him looked stronger, and that there was a long sturdy chain hanging by it, so he climbed to the chain and grabbed it in case he would need it. Meanwhile, Cindy fortunately had a package of matches on her and lit one, but before she could hold it near the smoke detector the railway started to fall apart, causing her to drop her match! Cindy screamed as she grabbed a hold of a railing, and Jojo swung on the chain towards her. Fortunately, he caught her as she fell, and they swung around for a bit as she prepared to light another match.

As Jojo and Cindy swung around Jojo was horrified to see the WhoDevil punch his dad into a wall!

"Dad!" Jojo cried as Ned fell unconscious.

Fortunately, Jane hopped to the rescue and grabbed Ned before the fire blast WhoDevil unleashed could reach them. Well, sort of, Jane did get a burn on her leg and tail.

"Mom! Are you all right?" Rudy called out as he knocked out another devil.

"Yes I'm fine, we'll meet you outside!" Jane called back as she carried Ned out of the factory.

At this point Cindy managed to light a match and she and Jojo swung to the smoke detector. The smoke detector happened to run on the factory's power instead of batteries, so Cindy and Jojo's plan worked. The smoke detector was set off, and the sprinklers came to life! The WhoDevil managed to escape, but most of the devils weren't so lucky. Jojo and Cindy swung onto Horton's back, Horton grabbed Rudy with his trunk, and they all left the factory. The factory was so run down by now, that the water weakened most of the supports, causing much of the factory to collapse.


	8. What About The WhoHearts?

Mrs. WhoHeart and Mr. WhoHeart were locked in a hug at first, until they saw Cindy on Horton's back. What followed was a touching reunion. Jojo meanwhile, went right over to his father, who was regaining consciousness. Both Jojo and Ned thanked Jane for saving Ned's life and they and Horton and Rudy expressed sympathy over her leg and tail, especially since she couldn't put much weight on either. Horton, Jojo, Cindy, Ned, Jane, and Rudy were treated as heroes and thanked by the others. Ned, Jojo, Cindy, and the kangaroos climbed onto Horton's back – Horton and Rudy helped Jane – and a joyful parade headed toward Whocity. When they reached Whocity the hospital was the immediate stop so that everyone who was in the factory could be treated for their burns. The story of defeating the WhoDevil reached the TV stations, which spread the story all over…including to Whoville. Those in Whocity who had missing family members left for the hospital to find them – this resulted in a traffic jam, but fortunately Horton carried Ned, Jojo, the WhoHearts and the kangaroos away from that – and Sally and the McDodd daughters cheered for Ned and Jojo's safe escape and heroics as they saw this on the news.

Horton continued on to the edge of the city, and then let everyone off.

"So…now what?" Cindy asked reluctantly, knowing that Jojo would have to leave now.

"Well, it's time for me and Jojo to return home." Ned answered. "But we'll come back soon."

Rudy and Ned noticed Jojo's sad expression, while Mr. and Mrs. WhoHeart noticed Cindy's sad expression. Horton and Jane noticed both sad expressions. Ned, Mr. and Mrs. WhoHeart, and Jane caught on to what was wrong immediately, but Horton and Rudy didn't and looked worried. Ned looked at Mr. and Mrs. WhoHeart and winked.

"However, you're welcome to come to Whoville with us for a few days." Ned smiled.

Mr. and Mrs. WhoHeart smiled back understandingly at first, then switched to more serious expressions.

"I don't know, I have to search for a new job." Mr. WhoHeart hesitated.

"Say, when we were looking through the factory windows earlier we noticed you working on furniture, are you a carpenter?" Ned asked.

"As a matter of fact I am." Mr. WhoHeart replied.

"That's great, Whoville needs a new carpenter!" Ned smiled.

"So that means…well Cindy it looks like we'll be moving to Whoville, is that all right with you?" Mrs. WhoHeart asked.

"Are you kidding? It's awesome!" Cindy pumped a fist excitedly; then, looking a little awkward, calmed down. "I mean, I never really did like the city."

"I think it's awesome too!" Jojo grinned. "It looks like we're going to be friends for a long time."

Horton and Rudy noticed Jojo and Cindy smiling at each other, and according to their expressions caught on to the situation: Jojo and Cindy had fallen in love.

Everyone got back onto Horton, and headed for Whoville. When they got back everyone except for the council welcomed them back as if they had been out fighting a war – which technically they had – but Ned and Jojo only smiled and waved before running to Sally and the McDodd daughters and greeting them. Horton, Jane, and Rudy smiled and waved longer, and after Jane acknowledged the concerns for her leg and tail they left for home. The WhoHearts went over to the McDodds and introduced themselves to Sally and the McDodd daughters. Cindy and the daughters became fast friends, and Sally and Mrs. WhoHeart started talking as if they had always known each other.


	9. Never Get Controlled By Jealousy

A.N. Jojo fans are probably going to kill me for harming him, but I wanted to show why being a bully or shallow is wrong. I also didn't want to make Jojo's life perfect since people tend to make that assumption about celebrities or rich individuals. Besides, it kinda makes sense that Jojo would have to put up with jealous bullies since his dad does, as sad as it sounds this is sort of hereditary.

The WhoHearts settled into Whoville very quickly. Mr. WhoHeart became a quick success with his new style of furniture, and Mrs. WhoHeart was employed at a popular seamstresses. Cindy was entered into the same classes as Jojo so that he could help her get used to a village school, which is very different from city schools. School was starting to become more pleasant for Jojo not just because Cindy was there, but also because the teasing about Jojo's height had finally stopped due to Cindy sharing his height. There were still some problems though, for example Cindy noticed right away that Jojo was extremely popular with the female students. This was more of a problem with Jojo since he knew that the female students only wanted to be with him because he's the mayor's son. Cindy on the other hand had no problem with this, except for sympathy for Jojo and hatred of the other girls' superficial attitude, because she could tell that Jojo didn't like any of the other girls. Fortunately, it wasn't long until word spread to the school that Jojo was not next in line to be mayor anymore, and the girls soon ditched him. Jojo and Cindy were both relieved and they prepared themselves to enjoy the rest of their school years in peace. Unfortunately, this was almost impossible since most of the male students were still jealous of Jojo for being a hero. This wasn't much of a problem however, until one day….

Cindy was staying after school to talk to their music teacher, so Jojo decided to wait outside for her so that they could walk home together (the WhoHearts now live near the McDodds). This quickly proved to be a mistake, because a gang of male students had been waiting a long time for this opportunity. Jojo was nervous as he saw the gang surround him with hating looks, but managed to keep a calm expression.

"So, the puny McDodd boy is now a bigshot hero." One boy, apparently the leader, sneered. "Well you're still a shrimpy wimp to us."

"'Wimp'?" Jojo repeated. "If I was wimpy we would be in that pot of oil."

"So you think you're all that?" Another boy glared.

"Nah, just pointing out some logic." Jojo tried to keep from getting angry; he hated it when Whos judged each other without getting to know each other.

"Well I'm going to point out some logic too: the logic that you'll always be a puny little weakling and never amount to anything." The leader raised a fist.

"Ha, what are you psychic?" Jojo retorted sarcastically. "Because if you're not then what say do you have in my future?"

"No I'm not psychic, but I do know what's coming in your future…a one way ticket to the hospital."

The leader snapped his fingers at the pause as he said that, and the other bullies revealed sticks, a stake, ammo, and a rope. Jojo now was scared since he knew that they meant to hurt him badly, but he still managed to look calm. One bully stuck the stake into the ground and a few others tied Jojo to it with the rope. Jojo fought back, but there were too many to fend off. After the last knot was tightened all of the bullies began hitting him with the sticks and ammo, which turned out to be rocks and spitwads. All this badly hurt Jojo, both physically and emotionally, but he kept himself from shedding any tears; no way would he want the bullies to get any more satisfaction out of this cruelty than they already were getting. This continued for a few minutes, no one noticing Cindy standing near the school entrance with a horrified look on her face before going back into the school. A couple of minutes later….

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"

Startled, the bullies stopped and turned towards the school to find their very furious principal glaring at them. Despite being in extreme pain Jojo gave a sigh of relief. Their principal was known for being extremely strict to troublemakers, especially when it came to mistreatment. To good students however the principal was extremely friendly and supportive; in a nutshell he put the 'pal' in principal. This caused good students to like and respect him and troublemakers to hate and fear him.

"Er, well, sir…that is…uh…." The leader stammered. "Run for it boys!"

The bullies ran away so fast you'd think that they drank some sort of speed potion.

"GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT TROUBLEMAKERS!" The principal yelled as he ran after them.

At that moment Jojo saw Cindy running towards him, looking worried and a little scared.

"Cindy?" Jojo said weakly.

"*Shh*, Jojo it's okay I called your dad." Cindy said comfortingly as she untied him. "He should be here any minute."

"Thank you." Jojo smiled the best he could.

"Of course." Cindy smiled back, despite looking close to tears.

At that point Ned arrived.

"Jojo!" Ned cried as he helped Cindy untie Jojo. "My poor boy, what happened?"

"Jealous bullies…." Was all Jojo could manage to say.

Ned and Cindy succeeded in freeing Jojo, who fainted onto the grass.

"Son!" Ned gasped.

"Jojo no!" Cindy sobbed.


	10. Good Feeling Replaces Bad Feeling

Jojo regained his feeling, which he slightly regretted due to the amount of pain he was in. Still, he was relieved that he was alive, and he managed to open his eyes. He immediately realized that he was in the hospital, surrounded by relieved parents and sisters.

"Jojo, you're all right." Sally smiled.

"Well, I'm alive anyway." Jojo chuckled. "How long have I been here?"

"Almost a week, Jojo what was with those bullies?" One of the sisters asked.

Jojo explained the whole story.

"Well, you don't have to worry about them anymore, your principal expelled them." Ned smiled.

"Yeah, and the rumor is that those bullies are condemned to do chores without any allowances for the rest of their life." The oldest sister grinned.

"Where's Cindy?" Jojo asked.

"She left to find a get well present, she should be back any minute." Another big sister explained.

"Well, when she gets here can we have a few minutes alone?" Jojo asked.

"Of course dear." Sally smiled.

Recently Jojo had decided to admit his feelings to Cindy, but getting beat up obviously delayed that by a few days.

It wasn't long until Cindy came back with a small package, and directly after Ned, Sally, and the McDodd daughters left. Cindy watched them leave with confusion, then went to Sally's vacant chair and placed the package at the end table nearby.

"Thank goodness you're all right, I was really getting worried." Cindy smiled, resting her hand on his.

"Not entirely all right, I think I'm going to be stuck here for a few more days." Jojo admitted.

"Well, bruises and broken bones can do that to anyone." Cindy said sympathetically. "The doctors say that as soon as you're down to a broken leg you're free to go though. They obviously don't want you to go back to school completely defenseless."

"Since the bullies are expelled I don't think I have to worry about that anymore."

"Maybe not you, but your family and I will certainly keep worrying."

"You really care about me huh?" Jojo smiled, looking lovestruck.

"Of…of course you're my best friend." Cindy smiled, trying not to make her love for him obvious.

"Well, truthfully I would like to become something more than just best friends." Jojo smiled. "I'm in love with you Cindy."

Cindy dropped her mouth open at first, and then smiled, lovestruck.

"I'm in love with you too Jojo." She leaned closer.

Cindy and Jojo kissed.


	11. The Talent Show

A.N. Here we get Jojo and Cindy singing again, as well as a solo from Jojo. The first song is Beautiful Soul by Jojo's voice actor Jesse McCartney, I wanted to use this one because the lyrics worked, and I also like imagining Jojo singing this whenever I hear the song. The second song is At The Beginning from the movie Anastasia. I choose this one because the lyrics were perfect and fit how Jojo and Cindy met and became closer.

Days later Jojo had finally gotten the last bandages removed, and he and Cindy were as much in love as they were that day at the hospital. The other students now saw for themselves that Cindy and Jojo were dating, beforehand they had just assumed that Cindy was playing the nurse out of sympathy. Even though Jojo wasn't going to become mayor anymore the girls were still jealous and teased Cindy about it. They once even stated that Cindy was only dating Jojo because he's the mayor's son, but Cindy denied that. The girls didn't believe her and continued teasing her, but Cindy just ignored them. Then one day, a poster appeared on the school's bulletin board:

"Hey Cindy, there's going to be a talent show a couple weeks from now." Jojo called to her from her locker a few feet down.

"Really?" Cindy smiled, excited, as she closed her locker and went over to him. "Wonderful, we can do a duet...this time a romantic one." Cindy grinned.

Jojo grinned back sheepishly upon remembering the first time they sang together.

"That's what I was thinking, but do you mind if I do a solo first?"

"A solo? What for?" Cindy asked, confused.

"Oh, it's a surprise." Jojo smiled.

"Well..." Cindy was about to question Jojo further, until she noticed the date of the talent show on the poster: Valentine's Day. "Okay." Cindy smiled.

"Great, you won't regret it." Jojo smiled.

They kissed, and headed to class.

_Two weeks later..._

After many students had their turn on the stage, Jojo came on and went to the microphone.

"Cindy WhoHeart and I were originally going to do a duet, but before we do I'd like to dedicate this song to her in honor of Valentine's Day."

Music, a special compilation by Jojo, played from backstage, and Jojo sang:

I don't want another pretty face

I don't want just anyone to hold

I don't want my love to go to waste

I want you and your beautiful soul

I know that you are something special

To you I'd be always faithful

I want to be what you always needed

Then I hope you'll see the heart in me

I don't want another pretty face

I don't want just anyone to hold

I don't want my love to go to waste

I want you and your beautiful soul

You're the one I wanna chase

You're the one I wanna hold

I wont let another minute go to waste

I want you and your beautiful soul

Your beautiful soul, yeah

You might need time to think it over

But I'm just fine moving forward

I'll ease your mind

If you give me the chance

I will never make you cry c`mon lets try

I don't want another pretty face

I don't want just anyone to hold

I don't want my love to go to waste

I want you and your beautiful soul

You're the one I wanna chase

You're the one I wanna hold

I wont let another minute go to waste

I want you and your beautiful soul

Am I crazy for wanting you

Baby do you think you could want me too

I don't wanna waste your time

Do you see things the way I do

I just wanna know if you feel it too

There is nothing left to hide

I don't want another pretty face

I don't want just anyone to hold

I don't want my love to go to waste

I want you and your beautiful soul

You're the one I wanna chase

You're the one I wanna hold

I wont let another minute go to waste

I want you and your beautiful soul

You beautiful soul, yeah.

During the applause, Cindy came out onto the stage, very moved.

"And now 'At the Beginning' sung by Jojo McDodd and me, Cindy WhoHeart." Cindy said into the microphone.

Different music played from backstage, and Cindy began to sing:

We were strangers starting out on our journey

Never dreaming what we'd have to go through

Now here we are and I'm suddenly standing

At the beginning with you

JOJO:

No one told me I was going to find you

Unexpected what you did to my heart

JOJO AND CINDY:

When I lost hope you were there to remind me

This is the start

And Life is a road and I want to keep going

Love is a river I want to keep flowing

Life is a road now and forever

A wonderful journey

I'll be there when the world stops turning

I'll be there when the storm is through

In the end I wanna be standing

At the beginning with you

CINDY:

We were strangers on a crazy adventure

JOJO:

Never dreaming how our dreams would come true

JOJO AND CINDY:

Now here we stand unafraid of the future

At the beginning with you

And Life is a road and I want to keep going

Love is a river I want to keep flowing

Life is a road now and forever

A wonderful journey

I'll be there when the world stops turning

I'll be there when the storm is through

In the end I wanna be standing

At the beginning with you

I knew there was somebody somewhere

Like me alone in the dark

I know that my dream will live on

I've been waiting so long

Nothing's gonna tear us apart

And Life is a road and I want to keep going

Love is a river I want to keep flowing

Life is a road now and forever

A wonderful journey

I'll be there when the world stops turning

I'll be there when the storm is through

In the end I wanna be standing

At the beginning with you

In the end I wanna be standing at the beginning with you

Now the applause was practically an uproar. Since Cindy and Jojo were the last act, the head judge came onto stage to announce the winner. Unsurprisingly, Jojo and Cindy won for their duet.


	12. Partners In More Ways Than One

The years passed, and Cindy and Jojo were more in love than ever. Soon they were eighteen/nineteen, and graduated from high school. No college for them though, their future was already decided: a singing duo. In fact, they had already booked a gig with a kind and real agent from Whocity. The gig was set up to start a week after graduation, which meant that it would start in just a few days. Jojo and Cindy spent most of those days talking and planning, though there was one part of the plan that only Jojo knew about.

The day before the gig would start, he decided to put that plan into action. He and Cindy were lying on the McDodd lawn, trying to find shapes in the clouds.

"This is so exciting Jojo, in a matter of hours we'll both be starting our dream career." Cindy smiled, turning on her side so that she was facing Jojo. "And even better, we're going to begin that dream together as partners."

"I know how you feel, but truthfully I want us to become a different kind of partners." Jojo replied, pretending to be serious, as he turned onto his side so that he was facing Cindy.

"What kind of partners?" Cindy's face fell, confused.

Jojo took a ring box out of his pocket.

"Married partners." Jojo smiled, opening the box to reveal a diamond engagement ring. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you Cindy, I love you more than anything else in the world."

Cindy, smiled, emotional, and took Jojo's free hand.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you too, so my answer is yes."

Jojo sat up and put the engagement ring on Cindy's left hand; Cindy sat up too, and they sealed the engagement with a kiss. Their families, when they found out, were overjoyed and blessed the couple. A different set of planning was done, and it was decided that the wedding would take place after Jojo and Cindy's first gig was over.

Their first gig was a complete success, and Jojo and Cindy instantly became huge stars. The wedding was actually a small wedding (unless you count the amount of Jojo's sisters of course), and the honeymoon was going on the road and doing small time performances at the Whofarms. It wasn't long before their first child came along - a girl - and eventually they ended up having ten children, no more, no less.

Ned and Sally's eldest daughter became the next mayor, but this wasn't publicly announced until it was time for her to take over the position. The eldest daughter herself requested this so that she could be as lucky in love as her brother. It worked out, and she found someone who loved her for her. This started a whole new tradition: the children of the mayor would be able to decide for themselves whether or no they wanted to be the next mayor, and this was to not be announced until it was time for that child to take over the position. The other daughters went down their own paths as well, paths too numerous to mention, so I going to cut to the chase and said that they all led happy and successful lives.


	13. Reviews Responses

Geas Qween: Thank you for your review. Actually, naming Sour Kangaroo Jane wasn't my idea. Other people have done it, and I looked it up online (on the Dr. Seuss Wiki).


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